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Rodney Priestley

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Rodney Dewayne Priestley
Born1979 (age 44–45)
Alma materNorthwestern University
Texas Tech University
Scientific career
InstitutionsPrinceton University
ThesisEffects of nanoscale confinement and interfaces on the structural relaxation of amorphous polymers monitored at the molecular scale by fluorescence and dielectric spectroscopy (2008)

Rodney Dewayne Priestley (born 1979) is an American chemical engineer and professor at Princeton University. His research considers the phase transitions of polymers and their application in electronic devices and healthcare. In 2020 he was made the Princeton University Vice Dean of Innovation. He was named dean of The Graduate School effective June 1, 2022.

Early life and education

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Priestley grew up watching documentaries on National Geographic.[1] He originally considered studying marine biology or geology.[1] During high school he became increasingly interested in chemistry.[2] Priestley eventually studied chemical engineering at Texas Tech University and graduated in 2003, where he competed in long jump.[3] As part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates programme at the University of Connecticut Priestley first encountered polymers, in the context of a project to develop artificial bone materials.[1] He completed his doctoral degree at Northwestern University, where he studied nanoscale confinement of polymers. In particular, Priestley made use of fluorescence and dielectric spectroscopy to investigate how confinement and interfacial effects impacted the glass transition temperature and physical ageing of polymers.[4] Priestley was a postdoctoral fellow at the Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI).[5]

Research and career

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In 2009 Priestley returned to the United States and joined the faculty at Princeton University. At Princeton, Priestley studies the nanoscale properties of materials, and how to tune these for novel device applications.[2] He has continued to study the glass transition temperatures of polymers, with a focus on the controlled formation of thin films and nanocolloids.[6] Priestley has studied the transition temperatures of substances that are composed of two or more polymers, attaching fluorescent reporting tags to the different components and using the brightness of the tag to infer whether the polymer is in a glassy or rubbery phase.[7] As part of this work, Priestley studied plexiglas, a composite system of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) that is found in coronary stents and paints.[7] He combines experimental studies with computational investigations to better understand the distribution of the PMMA and PBMA throughout the plexiglass.[7] Through his understanding of phase transitions, Priestley has shown that it is possible to precisely control nanostructures, and realised self-assembled biopolymers for use in artificial skin.[8] Alongside his work on polymeric systems, Priestley has investigated nanoparticles, specifically engineered nanoscale zerovalent iron (enZVI) particles, as a means to clean groundwater.[9] He proposed the use of Janus particles for the use in surfactant-free cleansing.[10]

In 2019 Priestley was promoted to full professor, and was one of the first African-Americans to hold such a position at Princeton University.[1] In 2020 he was made vice dean of innovation, and in 2022 named dean of The Graduate School.[11][12] He is the founder of the science-based Cativa health cannabidiol.[13] Priestley is an associate editor of JACS Au, an open-access journal.[14]

Awards and honours

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Selected publications

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  • Priestley, R. D. (2005-07-15). "Structural Relaxation of Polymer Glasses at Surfaces, Interfaces, and In Between". Science. 309 (5733): 456–459. Bibcode:2005Sci...309..456P. doi:10.1126/science.1112217. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 16020732. S2CID 28796923.
  • Rittigstein, Perla; Priestley, Rodney D.; Broadbelt, Linda J.; Torkelson, John M. (2007). "Model polymer nanocomposites provide an understanding of confinement effects in real nanocomposites". Nature Materials. 6 (4): 278–282. Bibcode:2007NatMa...6..278R. doi:10.1038/nmat1870. ISSN 1476-4660. PMID 17369831.
  • Tam, Vivienne H.; Sosa, Chris; Liu, Rui; Yao, Nan; Priestley, Rodney D. (2016-12-30). "Nanomedicine as a non-invasive strategy for drug delivery across the blood brain barrier". International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 515 (1): 331–342. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.10.031. ISSN 0378-5173. PMID 27769885.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Emerging Scholars | Diverse". diverseeducation.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  2. ^ a b c "September 2014". www.asee-prism.org. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  3. ^ "Alumni News". Texas Tech.
  4. ^ Priestley, Rodney Dewayne (2008). Effects of nanoscale confinement and interfaces on the structural relaxation of amorphous polymers monitored at the molecular scale by fluorescence and dielectric spectroscopy (Thesis). OCLC 466441508.
  5. ^ "Rodney Priestley". www.aiche.org. 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  6. ^ "Recipient". www.aps.org. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  7. ^ a b c "Doctoral research helps develop tool to probe plastics' behavior down to the molecular scale". Princeton University. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  8. ^ "Schmidt fund awarded to two transformative bioengineering projects". Princeton University. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  9. ^ "PEI awards $1.01 million in Water and the Environment Grand Challenge projects". Princeton University. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  10. ^ "WIPO Publishes Patent of the Trustees of Princeton University for "Janus Particles and Their Use for Surfactant-Free Cleansing and Emulsion Stabilization" (American Investors)". New Jersey Research Community. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  11. ^ "Rodney Priestly". Diverse. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  12. ^ Valenti, Denise. "Rodney Priestley named dean of Princeton's Graduate School". Princeton University. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Webb, Sam (2019-08-27). "Cativa launches 'science-based' CBD brand". The Leaf Desk. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  14. ^ "Celebrating African American Chemists: Rodney D. Priestley". ACS Axial. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  15. ^ a b "Materials expert Rodney Priestley awarded for pioneering contributions to polymer science | Chemical and Biological Engineering". cbe.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  16. ^ "Rodney Priestley receives NSF Career Award". School of Engineering and Applied Science. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  17. ^ "Priestley Named PECASE Recipient by White House: Updated | Chemical and Biological Engineering". cbe.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  18. ^ "PPG/DPOLY Polymer Lecture Exchange". www.iop.org. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  19. ^ "Creative Young Engineers Selected to Participate in NAE's 2014 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium". www.naefrontiers.org. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  20. ^ "Priestley to deliver Mellichamp Lecture at Purdue | Chemical and Biological Engineering". cbe.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  21. ^ "Priestley in 2014 List of "100 Most Influential African-Americans" | Chemical and Biological Engineering". cbe.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  22. ^ "Owens Corning Early Career Award". www.aiche.org. 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  23. ^ "John H. Dillon Medal". www.aps.org. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  24. ^ "ACS Macro Lett. / Biomacromolecules / Macromolecules Young Investigator Award". Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  25. ^ "2023 Fellows". APS Fellow Archive. American Physical Society. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
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